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salen

SAH-lehn/ˈsa.len/

they leave, you all leave

Also: they go out, they exit
VerbA1irregular (only in 'yo' form of present indicative) ir
Three small figures walking through an open doorway, exiting a building and stepping outside, illustrating physical departure.
infinitivesalir
gerundsaliendo
past Participlesalido

📝 In Action

Los empleados salen de la oficina a las cinco en punto.

A1

The employees leave the office at five o'clock sharp.

¿A qué hora salen ustedes para la excursión?

A2

What time are you all leaving for the excursion?

Ellas salen a bailar todos los sábados.

A2

They go out dancing every Saturday.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • parten (they depart)
  • abandonan (they leave/abandon)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • salir de viaje – to go on a trip
  • salir de paseo – to go for a walk/ride

they turn out, they come out

Also: they result
VerbB1irregular (same as above) ir
A smiling baker holds up a perfect, golden-brown loaf of bread, indicating that the baking process resulted in success.

📝 In Action

Las fotos salen borrosas si no tienen buena luz.

B1

The photos turn out blurry if they don't have good light.

Dicen que los negocios les salen muy bien últimamente.

B2

They say the businesses are turning out very well lately.

they are dating, they appear

Also: they are seeing each other
VerbB2irregular (same as above) irinformal
A young man and a young woman sitting close together on a park bench, sharing a milkshake with two straws, symbolizing a romantic date.

📝 In Action

Dicen que esos dos actores salen juntos desde hace un mes.

B2

They say those two actors have been dating for a month.

Sus nombres salen en la lista de los mejores estudiantes.

C1

Their names appear on the list of the best students.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • salir con alguien – to date/go out with someone
  • salir en prensa – to appear in the press/newspaper

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedsale
yosalgo
túsales
ellos/ellas/ustedessalen
nosotrossalimos
vosotrossalís

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsalía
yosalía
túsalías
ellos/ellas/ustedessalían
nosotrossalíamos
vosotrossalíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedsalió
yosalí
túsaliste
ellos/ellas/ustedessalieron
nosotrossalimos
vosotrossalisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedsalga
yosalga
túsalgas
ellos/ellas/ustedessalgan
nosotrossalgamos
vosotrossalgáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsaliera
yosaliera
túsalieras
ellos/ellas/ustedessalieran
nosotrossaliéramos
vosotrossalierais
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "salen" in Spanish:

they appear→they exit→they leave→they result→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: salen

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'salen' to mean 'they are dating'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
salida(exit / departure) — Noun
saliente(outgoing / protruding) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

The verb 'salir' comes from the Latin verb *salīre*, which originally meant 'to jump' or 'to leap.' This sense evolved into 'to spring forth' or 'to flow out,' which is how we get the modern Spanish meaning of 'to exit' or 'to go out.'

First recorded: Old Spanish (around the 13th century)

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: salireFrench: saillir

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the future tense of 'salir' (saldré, saldrán, etc.) look so different from the infinitive 'salir'?

The verb 'salir' is one of a handful of verbs that have an irregular stem in the future and conditional tenses. Instead of using 'salir-' plus the ending, it uses the shortened, contracted stem 'saldr-'. This is a common pattern for verbs like 'tener' (tendr-) and 'venir' (vendr-).

How do I know if 'salen' means 'they leave' or 'you all leave'?

You need context! If you are speaking in Latin America or formally, 'ustedes' (you all) will use 'salen'. If you are referring to a group of people or things previously mentioned ('ellos' or 'ellas'), it means 'they leave'. The verb form itself is the same for both pronouns.